The Dallas Mavericks are anticipated to fireside basic supervisor Nico Harrison Tuesday, in keeping with ESPN. The choice comes lower than a 12 months after Harrison’s controversial resolution to commerce Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, which arrange his downfall in Dallas regardless of constructing the 2024 Western Convention champions.
Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, each assistant basic managers underneath Harrison are anticipated to be named interim leads of basketball operations, in keeping with ESPN. Finley was a part of the five-man crew employed by Mark Cuban to rent a brand new coach and supervisor, a search that led to Jason Kidd and Harrison himself. Riccardi has turn into a extra public face of the franchise because the Dončić commerce.
Rumors about potential administration adjustments in Dallas started virtually instantly following the commerce. Harrison managed to stave off a firing lengthy sufficient for the Mavericks to win the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, which allowed them to draft Cooper Flagg No. 1 general. Nonetheless, a gradual begin to Flagg’s rookie season in addition to a depressing 3-8 report for the Mavericks as an entire up to now this 12 months was sufficient for Dallas to drag the set off and transfer on from probably the most controversial executives in NBA historical past.
The Mavericks employed Harrison in 2021 after parting methods with Donnie Nelson, who had been the final supervisor for practically 20 years. The choice was considerably unorthodox given Harrison’s background. He had by no means labored for an NBA team earlier than he was employed, however had been a sneaker government at Nike, most notably working with Kobe Bryant. Whereas doing so, he fashioned a relationship with Bryant’s agent, Rob Pelinka, who ultimately turned the final supervisor for the Lakers. That relationship helped facilitate the Dončić commerce.
Upon his hiring, Harrison rapidly set about tearing down the crew that he inherited, buying and selling Kristaps Porziņģis on the 2022 commerce deadline after which dropping Jalen Brunson for nothing in 2022 free company.
The off-court adjustments have been as sweeping as their on-court counterparts. In 2023, Harrison fired Casey Smith, the crew’s head athletic coach since 2004. That, in keeping with ESPN, prompted the departure of Scott Tomlin, the crew’s vp of basketball communications, who had been with the crew for a equally lengthy interval. Following the 2023-24 season, they fired energy coach Jeremy Holsopple and handbook therapist Casey Spangler, prompting Dončić to reportedly gripe earlier than his commerce that “they do away with everyone I like.”
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Regardless of these behind-the-scenes adjustments, the Mavericks did ultimately rebound on the courtroom. The acquisition of Kyrie Irving led to a year-long scorching streak for Harrison, who drafted standout younger middle Dereck Energetic and traded for Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington forward of a shocking journey to the 2024 NBA Finals. In the end, although, Harrison lacked religion within the finalist that he constructed.
On the 2025 commerce deadline, Harrison traded Dončić to the Lakers for a package deal headlined by Anthony Davis. Just about each factor of the deal was criticized. The overwhelming consensus was that Dallas ought to have stored Dončić and signed him to a five-year, $345 million supermax extension over the summer season. Even when a commerce was mandatory, the Lakers didn’t have probably the most to supply, and even when they did, they did not in the end give up it. Whereas the Mavericks acquired Max Christie and a first-round choose within the deal alongside Davis, they did not pry away budding star Austin Reaves, then-promising rookie Dalton Knecht or any draft capital past a 2029 first-round choose. The Lakers may have theoretically provided their 2031 first-round choose together with first-round swap rights in 2026, 2028 and 2030, however managed to carry onto all of that within the deal.
The 2024-25 season spiraled uncontrolled from there. Davis was injured when the Mavericks acquired him after which aggravated that harm upon his return. Kyrie Irving tore his ACL quickly after the commerce and has not but returned to the ground. With quite a lot of different Mavericks harm as properly, Dallas fell out of the playoffs and was eradicated within the Play-In Match by the Memphis Grizzlies.
In the meantime, followers in Dallas didn’t let up one inch of their criticism of the Dončić commerce regardless of how a lot time handed. Chants of “hearth Nico” crammed the world at each house recreation. Protests have been held exterior of the world. Season-ticket holders cancelled their plans. Issues reached a head in early April, when Dončić returned to Dallas as a member of the Lakers. The Mavericks shared a tribute video for him, however cameras caught Dončić crying as he watched. This additional enflamed an already scorching fanbase.
Harrison held a press occasion lower than per week later, reportedly at the behest of crew governor Patrick Dumont, however that solely made issues worse. The crew restricted the occasion to sure pre-selected media members solely and didn’t permit audio or video recordings. Harrison often defaulted to the axiom that “protection wins championships” as responses to all kinds of questions. He dismissed the enter of former proprietor Mark Cuban and crew legend Dirk Nowitzki as a result of they “weren’t within the constructing at a relentless foundation.” He wouldn’t decide to remaining in Dallas past the three years remaining on his contract even though he himself had traded all the crew’s first-round picks between 2027 and 2030. The occasion proved to be a public relations catastrophe.
Dallas was solely rescued from what seemed to be a remarkably bleak future when its 1.8% probability to win the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery hit and gave the Mavericks the No. 1 general choose. They used that choose to pick out Flagg, probably the most extremely regarded prospects in latest historical past.
But Flagg has struggled to this point this season due largely to the unconventional roster Harrison has constructed. Regardless of being a 6-9 ahead, Dallas opened the season with Flagg enjoying level guard as a result of Irving’s absence and a roster stuffed to the brim with huge defenders however missing smaller ball-handlers. As predicted, the Dallas protection was promising, however the offense has been an unmitigated catastrophe. Accidents have remained an issue underneath the revamped coaching workers and aggrieved followers, whereas supportive of Flagg, by no means stopped chanting “Fireplace Nico.” Within the wake of these struggles and the negativity that has surrounded the crew because the commerce, the Mavericks have elected to drag the plug on maybe probably the most unpopular basic supervisor within the historical past of the NBA.
Now, the crew begins the method of mending its relationship with its followers. The Dončić commerce very simply may have set the Mavericks again a decade, however Flagg’s presence granted a reprieve that gives no less than a glimmer of hope for the longer term. We do not but know who will construct the crew round him, solely that it will not be the person who traded Dončić
